. >> reporter: it's late afternoon in manassas, virginia, not far outside washington, dc, and at the dar al noor mosque they're getting ready for a good all-american barbeque. the picnic is part of a new national initiative from the muslim american society called "the straight path campaign." it's one of several new projects being launched by u.s. islamic groups in an effort to fight extremism within their community, particularly among young people. >> we want them to say to america and prove to america through their efforts that, you know, we're not terrorist suspects. we are america's brightest prospects. >> reporter: according to a new poll by the pew research center, americans hold conflicted views about whether islam is more likely to encourage violence than other religions. 42% of those surveyed said that islam does not encourage violence more than others, 35% said it does, and almost a quarter said they didn't know. the survey also found that almost 40% of americans said they had an unfavorable view toward islam. that's a significant increase from just five years ago. since th